🔬The Debrief as Palmer hits four, Arsenal gain ground & Liverpool go top

There were seven Premier League games to enjoy on what was a busy day of action on Saturday.

Let’s take a look at what went on.

What happened?

In the early kick-off, Manchester City were held by Newcastle in a pulsating game at St James’ Park. A penalty from Anthony Gordon cancelled out Joško Gvardiol’s opener, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side winless in their last two matches.

That left it over to Arsenal to capitalise on those dropped points, and they almost didn’t when a brace from Leicester’s James Justin levelled the scores at the Emirates. Yet the drama was not over, as four minutes into stoppage time a Wilfred Ndidi own goal gave the Gunners a dramatic lead, and Kai Havertz added another before the final whistle.

Chelsea also kept up the pace despite some suspect defending, as four first half goals from Cole Palmer was enough to see off Brighton by a 4-2 scoreline.

After two high-profile collapses, Everton finally bagged their first win of the season, a brace from Dwight McNeil pulling them back from behind at home to Crystal Palace.

Fulham climbed up to sixth with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest thanks to a goal from Raúl Jiménez and another record-breaking fast start for Brentford eventually saw them pegged back by West Ham.

In the evening kick-off, Liverpool’s win over Wolves sent them top of the league, even though Arne Slot’s side were not at their best on the night.

Player of the day

Cole Palmer lit up Stamford Bridge by becoming the first player in Premier League history to score four goals in the first half of a match.

It took him ten minutes to get his hat-trick. And after 19 minutes and 44 seconds, he had his fourth. You might have asked, what took him so long?

Joking aside, Palmer is Chelsea’s undisputed star man, having bagged more goal involvements than games since he joined the club from Manchester City in 2023.

The 22-year-old’s rapid rise to one of the Premier League’s best is simply astounding.

Palmer already has three hat-tricks for Chelsea. No Blyes player has ever scored more than three in the club’s history. It’s not going to be long before Palmer smashes through that barrier too.

Stat of the day

Cole Palmer wasn’t the only one smashing Premier League records, as Brentford once again scored in the first minute, this time the goal coming for Bryan Mbeumo against West Ham.

That goal, hit after just 37 seconds, meant the Bees became the first side in league history to score in the opening minute in three consecutive matches.

In fact, 37 seconds seemed quite late compared to having netted on 22 seconds against Manchester City and 23 seconds last week against Tottenham.

Brentford fans had better arrive at the ground early in future to make sure they don’t miss a moment.

What this means

It’s tight at the top as Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea are separated by just two points after six games played.

Aston Villa are in the mix too, and could go joint-top with Liverpool with a win over Ipswich Town on Saturday.

With their win over Nottingham Forest, Fulham are a surprise entry in the top six, as Marco Silva has masterminded three wins and two draws in their opening six games.

At the bottom, Everton have eased their worries slightly, as they rise up to 15th with a win, but equally, Crystal Palace have been pulled into trouble with that result.

What they said

Man City boss Pep Guardiola was quick to praise his midfield who had stepped up in the absence of Rodri. “They played really good; Mateo [Kovačić] was brilliant, Rico [Lewis] as well, and Bernardo [Silva] when he played in that position. They played really good!”

Meanwhile title rival Mikel Arteta confessed that he was worried when Leicester evened up the scores. “It was emotionally difficult to accept given the amount of goals we should have scored,” the Spaniard told reporters. “It was worrying. In theory, we should have never got to this point – but this is football. This is the beauty of football, in relation to other sports.”

And Fabian Hürzeler was full of praise for Cole Palmer, despite the damage the Englishman did to his side. “Cole Palmer is special,” the Brighton boss said. “He’s unstoppable, there are not so many players like him”.

What comes next?

Sunday sees Aston Villa travel to Ipswich, while the later kick-off is a big one at Old Trafford as Manchester United host Tottenham.